Adjustable seat for carriages



G & D. COOK Carriage-Seat.

No 16,528. Patented Feb. 3. I857.

N. PETERS, 'PHOTO-LITMOGRAPHER. WASHINGTON. D c.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

GEORGE COOK AND DAVID COOK, OF NE\V HAVEN, CONNECTICUT.

ADJUSTABLE SEAT FOR CARRIAGES.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 16,528, dated February 3, 1857.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that we, GEORGE C001; and DAVID Coon, both of the city and county of New Haven, in the State of Connecticut, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Adjustable Seats for Carriages; and we do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description of the construction, character, and operation of the same, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, which make a part of this specification, in which- Figure 1, is a perspective view of the carriage body, representing it as with two seats, one at the rear end, the other toward the front end. Fig. 2, is a longitudinal section of the same cut vertically through the central part, showing the relative positions of the two seats when but one is seen, and also the iron bars, braces, or legs, on which the seat jumps from one location to the other, without touching the rails.

Our improvement consists in so constructing and attaching two seats to a common wagon box, that, when used as a two seat carriage the two seats will be perfectly unconnected with each other; and when used as a one seat carriage, every portion of the other seat will be concealed, afiording not the slightest indication of there being more than one seat; and so that while the main seat is being shifted from one position to the other, it will be carried over on its own fixtures, or, jump over on its own supports, or legs, without touching the rails; and when arrived at either of the stations it will be self secured, against any liability to be moved out of its place except by hand, (while the shifting may be done, easily, with one hand).

We make the wagon box, A, in the usual way, as shown in Fig. 1. In the central part of the box, (that is, central between front and rear,) we erect two standards, securing them firmly to the frame and side, of the box, one of which is shown at B, Fig. 2, (the other being on the opposite side, can not be seen,) and to the tops of these two standards we frame a cross bar, as in dicated in cross-section at a, Fig. 2, and its rear side, or edge, shown at a, Fig. 1. To this bar,.a, we attach, (by suitable butts, Z), 7),) the rear edge of the front seat, C, as shown in Fig. 1, (and indicated in crosssection in Fig. 2,) while the front edge, &c., is supported, (when used,) by the skirts,

c, a, resting on the side rails of the box, as shown in Fig. 1. But when this front seat is not used, it may be turned back to the position indicated in section, at C, Fig. 2, and the skirts, (which are also hung with butts) may be turned down to the position shown at 0, Fig. 2.

We make the back, or rear, seat, D, with inflexible skirts, E, E, to rest on the side rails of the box, in the usual way, as shown in Fig. 1. And we secure it to the box by four iron bars, or braces, one end of each of which we attach to the skirt of the seat, and the other end to the frame work of the box, by joint pins, or screws, as indicated at (Z, (Z, Fig. 2, and (Z, Fig. 1, (the other two, being at the opposite end of the seat, are not shown.) These bars, or braces, d, d, (from their inclined position, and proper guidance,) hold the seat perfectly on the rails, or sides of the box, so that no other fastening, or security is necessary, under any circumstances, whether the seat be placed in the position shown in Fig. l, or in that shown in Fig. 2. e, is a block to sup port the joint pins &c., and f, and g, are friction, and sliding bars, to prevent wearing the box, 620.

Having constructed the two seats, and attached them, as before described, when the seats, C, and D, are in the positions shown in Fig. 1, the bars, or braces, d, d, of the rear seat, D, will be in the position shown at (Z, Fig. 1, and. will therefore hold the seat steadily in that position; and when it is desired to use the carriage with but one seat, we turn back the seat, C, to the position shown in Fig. 2, at C, turning down the skirts, as shown at c. We then raise up, and push forward, the seat, D, which in passing forward must describe a segment of a circle, by rising from its position in Fig. 1, and passing, or jumping, over to the position indicated in Fig. 2, when it comes down again so that the skirts, E, E, will rest on the two rails of the box, while in its passage it was wholly supported by the bars, (Z, d, and therefore could not touch the rails to wear, or mar, them or to cause any friction. And when the seat, D, has arrived at the position shown in Fig. 2, the bars d, cl, will brace it firmly in its place, that is its front edge will be over the former position of the rear edge of the front seat, C, the most appropriate position in a carriage with but one seat ;and where it will perfectly cover, and conceal, the other seat, so as to leave no indication that there is, or ever has been, another seat in the carriage.

The advantages of our improvement consist in the readiness with which it is susceptible of being changed from one to two seats, (and vice versa) by a person in, or out of the carriage. And the perfect fitness with which the seat (D,) is held, in either of its locations, by the bars, or braces, which support it, so as to need no other fastening. And in that, the shifting of the seat, will never Wear, or injure, the most highly finished rail, as the seat swings, or may be said to jump, from one location to the other.

What we claim as our invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

So constructing, attaching, and locating, the seats, as to preserve the perfect symmetry of the carriage whether it be used with one or two seats, without any necessity of securing the movable seat, when the whole is constructed, and arranged, and

made to operate substantially as herein described.

GEORGE COOK. DAVID COOK. WVitnesses R. FITZGERALD. 

